Dances With Lieutenants
by sarahhjanesmith
Summary: Sharon and Provenza take some time to themselves...


Sharon Raydor and Louie Provenza were in her living room, barefoot, slow dancing to the song _I Want To Know What Love Is, _by Foreigner. What _had_ been a full bottle of wine was laying sideways on the coffee table, discarded almost instantly upon being emptied. After her divorce from Jack, Sharon had started having Provenza over more often. At first it had just been for dinner or the occasional movie, but after about a month or so, Sharon had informed everyone that she and Lieutenant Provenza were dating.

Sharon seemed to expect some kind of negative reaction from her friends and colleagues, but they had been nothing but supportive and happy for the couple. With their relationship more public, it was easy to see that the Captain and the Lieutenant were in love. They'd be picking on each other one minute, and holding each other the next.

Provenza took Sharon by the hand and spun her around, then he pulled her close to him, swaying her back and forth. Sharon began to giggle as they both swayed a bit too much and nearly fell down.

"Stop stepping on my feet!" Provenza said. Sharon's giggles increased.

"Maybe I wouldn't step on them if they weren't so big," she teased. Provenza gave her a look, pulling her closer and giving her a kiss. She hummed against his lips, running her fingers through his hair.

Sharon loved the evenings they spent in her condo. They tried to keep their relationship on a professional level at work, but when they were alone in her condo, or at his house, they could enjoy each other's company to its full extent. She never thought she'd find someone she loved so much at this stage of her life, and she was very thankful she had.

"I left my phone out here and I'm coming in to get it," Rusty said, causing them to break apart abruptly. They both began to laugh as Rusty came into view, his hands covering his eyes. When he heard them, he immediately removed his hands from his face and smiled.

"Have we scarred you for life?" Sharon asked.

"I had my eyes covered before I even came in, just to be safe."

"In this instance that was probably a good call," Provenza admitted, earning him a playful slap on the shoulder from Sharon.

"Oh God, I don't even want to know." Rusty shook his head as he reached for his phone that he'd left on the coffee table. "Did you two drink an entire bottle of wine?"

"I suppose we did," Sharon answered, looking down at the floor. Sharon didn't drink too often. A glass of wine after a long day? Sure. Half a bottle just for fun? No. Knowing how alcohol could effect people, she preferred to stay sober.

"I think I can take responsibility for most of it," Provenza chimed in, catching Sharon's expression. She didn't need to feel ashamed about letting loose once in a while, and he wanted her to know that. Rusty caught on right away, realizing he'd indirectly made her feel guilty when it hadn't been his intention.

"I'm glad you guys are having a nice time. I'll get out of your way now," he said, giving the pair a small smile before heading back to his room.

Sharon walked around to the other side of the table, sitting down on the couch and reaching for a pillow. Provenza sat down next to her, brushing her hair away from her face.

"Don't you get mopey on me, Sharon," he said. She smiled, leaning her head against his shoulder and hugging her pillow tightly.

"I'm not, I promise."

He wrapped his arms around her and began planting soft kisses through her hair. She tilted her head a bit to give him better access. She perked up substantially when one of her favorite songs began playing.

"Care for one more dance, Louie?" She asked, pulling him to a standing position.

"With you? Always."

Soon enough one more dance turned into two, which turned into three, and so on. They would spend the rest of the night holding each other and swaying to the beat if they could. Sadly, however, they couldn't. They had work in the morning, which meant they needed sleep tonight.

"Well, I guess I'll get going," Provenza said, giving Sharon a kiss goodbye.

"Or you could stay," she said, giving him a wide smile. He looked slightly surprised. He'd never spent the night before.

"I'd love to."

So, that night, for the first time in _years_, Sharon Raydor locked her bedroom door, and had some of the greatest sex she'd ever had.

* * *

"Hopefully Rusty didn't hear that," Provenza said. He and Sharon were now laying side by side, covered in a thin layer of sweat, panting heavily.

"Oh my God, let's hope he had earphones in...or was asleep."

"Maybe we really lucked out and he was asleep _with_ earphones in," he replied. She giggled and snuggled closer to him.

"And I thought walking in on us kissing was enough to scar him for life." Sharon liked the feeling of his laughter with her head resting against his chest. She nestled even closer, letting the feel of their warm bodies pressed together lull her to sleep.

"Goodnight, Sharon."

"Goodnight. I love you," she murmured.

"I love you, too." He said, kissing the top of her head.

Neither of them could remember the last time they'd felt this close to someone. Provenza had loved each of his wives very much, but he'd never loved any of them the way he loved Sharon. Something about her was different. He wasn't entirely sure what, but he had a feeling it had something to do with the way she challenged him. One of the things he loved most about her was her ability to hold her ground.

Sharon felt happier now than she had at any time during her marriage. The beginning of her life with Jack had been good, but there had always been more downs than ups. There was a time when Sharon would have called Jack Raydor the love of her life, and that time had long since passed.


End file.
